Robert Downey Jr. Weighs In on Hollywood-China Ties

Actors Robert Downey Jr. (center) and Wang Xueqi (second from right) pose with producers of “Iron Man 3″ and a child dressed as the film’s title character during a press conference in Beijing on Saturday, April 6.

Is Hollywood doing too much to win over Chinese audiences?

Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. says maybe so. In an interview this weekend with China Real Time, the star of the upcoming film “Iron Man 3” said, “If businesses are involved, probably too much, if personal interests were involved, you can’t do enough.”

International film companies should be doing more to understand Chinese culture, Mr. Downey said at a marketing event for the film’s release in China, arguing that news outlets often portray China in a light that does not match the view on the ground.

Mr. Downey’s comments come as film companies look for winning recipes to get their films into the lucrative Chinese market while still maintaining Western appeal. Box office sales in China surged 30% to $2.74 billion in 2012, according to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

“Iron Man 3,” which is still seeking a release date in China, has attracted particular attention among foreign film companies interested in getting their movies into the world’s most populous country. The film’s producers Walt Disney Co., Marvel Pictures and Beijing-based DMG, opted not to pursue official “co-production” status, which typically earns films streamlined access to China’s tightly restricted market at the expense of giving China’s state film regulators more control over the creative process.

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